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The town's name translates to "ladder" or "stairway." It is named so because of it being located on a hill that is divided into levels, with the market being on the lowest and Colonel Allende's mansion on the highest, with a variety of shops and houses in between.

This is the biggest city seen in Nuevo Paraiso, but still is quite small, with only Colonel Allende's mansion, a few houses and businesses, and a couple of other locations. Statistics says that the general store in Escalera has the lowest prices of items in the game, though the store does not have as many items as the American stores.

After the mission "The Gates of El Presidio" and before the mission "An Appointed Time", Escalera is a different place. The gates to Allende's mansion are closed, and the grounds are inaccessible, presumably for security reasons, and the town itself appears to be recovering after a major skirmish and gearing up for the next battle. Soldiers are patrolling the town in much greater numbers than usual, businesses have been closed down, a bonfire is burning in the market, and corpses from battles and executions can be found dotted around the town. The townsfolk can be found huddled in corners gossiping, mourning dead friends and relatives, or comforting wounded fellow citizens. Aside from wanted posters and the stagecoach, no activity or amenity can be used during this short period.

During the Undead Nightmare, this is one of 23 locations that must be cleared of the Undead and then protected from re-infestation thereafter. It will not appear on the map as a rescuable territory until after the player has completed the main story, however the player may still manually visit the town and help the seven survivors there. However, the player is unable to save the town during the course of the final mission. In addition, when the town is saved "prematurely", some of the defenders may not spawn when you arrive to rescue the town later on, however they are not registered as "dead" by the game (as in, the area in the stats about remaining survivors will not deplete), and it is possible for the town to become completely and permanently lost this way. It also contains a new, secret location that can only be accessed through the Undead NightmareDLC.

The life of the citizens of Escalera is much of the same as those ofChuparosa. After a hard days work of selling products in the market, or stopping a local uprising, much of the town's people go to the saloon or sit around the various bonfires around town. The town is heavily guarded by either rebels or the Mexican Army and will stop anybody who is out of line. This makes Escalera a dangerous place to cause trouble.

If one sticks around long enough, the player may see a firing squad line a group of rebels up and shoot them.

After Marston helps overthrow Colonel Allende and his Mexican army, Reyes' Rebels will take over the town and start to spawn instead of soldiers.

The logo behind the general store resembles the original Starbuck's logo

At times Reyes' Rebels or the Mexican Army will try to pry the town from the other and the player can assist either side, but the defender is marked with law symbols costing honor for each kill.

On signposts throughout Nuevo Paraiso the town's name is spelled "Escalara".

The player may hear women screaming, this would be most likely the women that Colonel Allende raped that are seen in some of the scenes from De Santa's Missions

A campfire segment tells of a ghost that dwells in the Escalera saloon. It is rumored that the bartender can see cups in different places from where they originally were, and bottles spilled on the floor. All of this happens even when nobody is there.

There is a glitch at the Hacienda/Fortress where it is possible to get under the floor of the map. To get under the floor in Escalera, enter the Hacienda/Villa that is in Escalera and go into the back room of the mansion. Then turn around face back towards the entrance on the wall to the right where there is a bookshelf and a potted plant. Get between the wall on the right and the potted plant. Crouch, then roll to the left and forward a little. Upon rolling to the right, the player will end up in a room to get out go to the stairs. (Confirmed)

There is a glitch at the Hacienda/Fortress where it is possible to get under the floor of the map. Enter the Hacienda located at the top of Escalera, and go into the back room. Turn around to face the entrance. There should be a bookshelf and a potted plant to the right. Jump on top the potted plant. Once on top, crouch down and take out a fire bottle. Throw the fire bottle close to you. The object is for your character (who will end up on fire) to fall into the bottom of the foundation. If you landed in a room, you did not fall down enough, so try again. If you're on the ground with the mansion floating about you, you're there. From this position, you can shoot anyone and not be shot at. (Confirmed)

In singleplayer there is a glitch where the player will see Rufus instead of a native Mexican dog.

There is also another way to glitch underneath the mansion. Firstly, call a Bonzo, and place it between the indent between the right flight of stairs and the sidewall sticking out. Then get off the Bonzo. After a few tries, you should be able to get under the mansion.

In singleplayer, the gunsmith and general store owner may disappear completely, making it impossible for the player to get the LeMat revolver. This happened after An Appointed Time. (It is possible to undo this glitch by camping in the wilderness for about five days. The gunsmiths and store merchants should return then.)

Some players may encounter frame issues while entering Escalera. This is likely because of the large amount of buildings and townspeople rendering at one time.

In multiplayer, if the player enters the mansion and makes their way to the room with the table and chandelier and throws a fire bottle at the picture/painting in front of the table, they will be reset out of town.